Second Self
by SkulY2K
Summary: On Anti-Mobius, a black hedgehog gathers a small group together to take down Scourge. But there's one thing he didn't count on...
1. Black

**Before I begin, let me say that I have hardly read any of the Archie comics. Maybe two or three in my life and even then, it was years ago. Therefore, some details may be wrong and some characters may be slightly OOC. I **_**have**_** read as much as I could about the characters as possible online, but those with better knowledge, please let me know of any discrepancies. Keep in mind, though, that this story will not take place **_**completely**_** in the Archie Sonic Universe. Also, for the purpose of this story, the Anti-Mobians have not yet met their Prime counterparts.**

* * *

A golden yellow, two-tailed fox walked behind a black hedgehog with red highlights on his spines. Walking alongside the fox was a red echidna with a black Scottish tam. The fox, known as Miles, frowned at the hedgehog's back. He didn't fully trust the guy, but if there was a chance to stop Scourge, he would take it.

_Why am I doing this?_ he thought, _He hasn't even told us his name, or what his plan is, yet. If I don't get any answers after we're done here… well, we'll see…_

Currently, they were on their way to pick up one more person. With such a small group, Miles hoped the hedgehog had one hell of a plan.

"I don't like this… I don't think bringing _her_ along is a good idea..." he commented.

"Don't worry about it," replied the hedgehog nonchalantly, raising a dismissive hand.

"You telling me _not_ to worry about it is _making_ me worry about it."

"Didn't I say you don't have to do anything? _I'll_ talk to her."

"I know I don't have to do anything. I still don't like it."

"I know how ye feel, lad," said the Irish-accented echidna, Knuckles, so named for the spikes protruding from his fists, "But we'll need all the help we can get to stop Scourge."

"That's true… but a group this small...?"

Soon, they came to a small house with an overgrown garden and dirty windows. Supposedly, inside was the last person the hedgehog – _Black_, Miles had mentally named him – was looking for: Rosy the Rascal. The problem was, the house looked abandoned.

"Alright, you two stay here," said Black.

"No problem there," said Miles.

"Sure ye don't need any help with her?" asked Knuckles.

Black shook his head, smirking a little, "I can take care of this myself."

Miles leaned on the wall next to the door, "Fine. But if she goes nuts, I'm sure not going to try and stop her."

"Like I said, leave it to me."

Putting his hand on the doorknob, he turned it and pushed the door open.

Miles rolled his eyes, "Oh, that's a _great_ start - just walk in."

The hedgehog ignored him and surveyed the small, messy living room to the right of the main hall. A couch, a table and a television, but no Rosy.

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

"Rosy?"

No answer.

He walked through the living room to the kitchen and didn't find her there, either, although there were small splatters of something red here and there on the floor. Hoping it was just ketchup and not blood, he moved on into a large, almost empty room. Empty, except for a desk with coloured pencils and crayons – some snapped in two – and the walls, which were lined with drawings of a green hedgehog in various painful situations. Even though the drawings were bad, in both quality and taste, the black hedgehog could tell who was being depicted. On the floor were several ripped pieces of crumpled paper with half-finished artworks on them, as though the artist had gotten too excited and accidentally ripped the paper during creation.

Shaking his head, the hedgehog checked the final room, a dining area, which was small and looked like it hadn't seen much use. Looking back at the picture room – some sort of study? – Black realised that Rosy had switched the intended uses of these two rooms around. She probably ate her meals in the kitchen or living room, anyway.

There was only one place left to look – upstairs.

Cautiously walking up the stairway, Black listened and heard harsh breathing coming from one of the rooms. The door was ajar and he peeked in. The room was narrow and dark, the light coming in from the windows doing little to illuminate what was probably a storage area. At the far end of the room, the hedgehog could partially see a pinkish figure crouching with their back turned to him.

Opening the door fully, he stepped in. The figure jumped and turned, her expression one of shock and fear. Her head dropped and she meekly looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

_Drop the innocent act, girl. I know what you are..._ thought Black. Although he had to admit, she looked almost cute this way. But behind her pale green eyes, her mind was coming up with various ways of mutilating him.

He took a step towards her and she shrank back, shoulders hunched defensively, dropping a hedgehog-shaped doll.

_She's hoping I'll let down my guard and come closer... then _bam_! Not gonna happen, sweetie..._

"Rosy..." he said with a small grin, his red eyes boring into hers, "...I'm going to go _get_ Scourge."

The emphasis he put on 'get', along with his facial expression, took her attention and she stood straight, listening intently.

"Do you wanna help me _get_ him?" he asked.

Smiling wickedly, she brought her foot down heavily on the doll and twisted it back and forth. Black nodded, _There she is... the true Rosy..._

"I'll take that as a 'yes', then," he said and cocked his head towards the door, "Follow me."

.

They were approaching the front door when Black heard something and knew full-well what it was. Quickly, he half-turned to Rosy and stopped her massive green hammer with one hand, admittedly impressed at her strength. He looked straight at her, "_Don't_ do that."

"It was only a joke..." she said, giving an innocent smile that didn't reach her eyes. No matter the expression, her eyes maintained a look of insanity.

Almost effortlessly, he pushed her hammer back, nearly making her lose her balance.

"Do it again, and you're not coming with us."

Rosy hung her head, "...Okay... I won't..." she replied. Somehow, Black didn't think she meant it.

"One exception: Scourge. Do it to him all you like."

Rosy looked up, grinned and licked her lips.

.

Hearing the door open, Miles jumped back from the wall and warily watched the pink hedgehog following Black. The two seconds she made eye contact unnerved him.

"Where's my Scourgey?" she asked eagerly, looking around and clutching her hammer tightly.

"Where do you think?" asked Black.

The young hedgehog looked over at the large building in the distance.

"Castle..." she said in a low voice, referring to Castle Acorn.

"That's right. And that's where we're headed. Come on, let's go."

"Hold it," said Miles, "What exactly are we going to do?"

"Well, we need to get to Scourge, first of all."

"That much is obvious."

"He'll have guards inside the castle. We'll need to fight through them and get to the throne room where our almighty 'King' should be waiting."

"If it's to take down Scourge, I'll fight... even though I'd rather not," said Knuckles.

"Glad to hear it. You're good at hand-to-hand, which is exactly why I brought you along."

"So, we get to Scourge. Then what?" asked Miles, wanting to get his answers.

Black smirked, "Then you leave Scourge to me."

"_What?_" screamed Rosy.

"Calm down, Rosy. I'll let you have a shot at him. You can get to finish him off. How does that sound?"

"No! He's mine! _I_ get to squish him! Nobody else touches him!"

Uttering a cry of rage, spittle flying from her mouth, Rosy reared her hammer back, about to take a swing at the black hedgehog, when he raised an eyebrow at her and she remembered what he said earlier. She gritted her teeth and relaxed her stance, yet looked no less dangerous.

"...Okay..." she murmured.

Miles moved his gaze from Rosy to Black and wiped the sweat from his brow, "Alright, so you're going to take him on by yourself, huh? How do you propose to do _that_?"

"Trust me... I've got the perfect thing in mind."

"That being?"

"You'll see. I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"If you don't tell me, I'm not gonna help you," said Miles, steadfastly crossing his arms.

"So you say, but I bet you're burning with curiosity to find out."

Miles clenched his fists and ground his teeth, then sighed heavily. Black was right; he was.

"Fine..." he muttered, looking away.

"Alright, then. Shall we?"


	2. Confrontation With Scourge

The black hedgehog walked confidently towards the arched entrance to the castle which was flanked by an armoured guard on either side and barred by a metal portcullis. As the group approached, the guards drew their swords and crossed them in front of the entrance.

"Halt!" commanded the guard on the right, his face obscured by the closed visor on helmet, "What is your business here?"

"We're here to see Scourge," said Black calmly.

"_King_ Scourge!" corrected the guard on the left, "I don't believe His Majesty is expecting you."

"He's not, but he'll know we're coming long before he sees us."

"What?"

The hedgehog drove his fist into the side of the metal helmet, buckling it and knocking the guard out.

The other took a step back, shocked for a second, then called out, "Alert! Intruders!"

Grasping his sword, he assumed a stance, "Stop where you are!"

Black smirked, "Not a chance."

The guard rushed at the hedgehog and made a downward slash at him, but was taken aback when his opponent clasped the sword between his hands. Black pushed against the armoured figure and reversed the attack, causing the blade to clang against the guard's helmet, disorienting the Moebian for a moment. He followed up with a kick to the chest, knocking him down.

Walking over, Black picked up the sword the guard had dropped. He raised it in the air, the blade pointing down, and then drove it into the armoured chest, metal screeching against metal. The figure twitched for a moment, then laid still.

The others, including Rosy, just stared in amazement. He had effortlessly beaten two of Scourge's guardsmen in less than fifteen seconds.

"You _sure_ you need help?" asked Miles, listening to the sounds of more guards mobilising from within the castle.

"I know. I make it look easy, but I'll need you guys to be there for me," said Black, "Now... let's break down this gate. Knuckles?"

"Alright. I'll have this down in a second. Step back," said the red echidna, approaching the portcullis. He reared back a fist and then threw it forward, causing a large dent. He threw another heavy punch and tore a hole in the barrier. With the strength of Black and Knuckles, the two widened the hole in the weakened metal.

Knuckles straightened his black tam, "That should be wide enough for us to get through."

"Shall we?" asked Black, gesturing to the hole.

.

Scourge lounged on the throne, one foot on the floor, the other hanging over the armrest. He grinned as he flipped through a naughty magazine, his cold blue eyes lingering on each page for a long time.

His grin disappeared when a royal guardsman burst into the room.

"Your Majesty!" he said hurriedly while bowing.

Scourge scowled at him over his sunglasses, "Knock before entering, you moron! What the hell is it?"

"S-Sorry, your Highness, but it's an emergency! We have intruders at the gate!"

He turned when he heard someone yelling in the distance, "They've broken through the gate!"

"We have intruders and they've _broken through_ the gate," said the guardsman, turning back to the green hedgehog and updating his report.

Scourge looked at him for a second and then turned his attention to his magazine again, "Kill them," he said in a casual tone.

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Oh, and if there are any females there, capture them. I've been looking for some fun."

"Well, I... I believe there is one with them, but—"

"She'll do. Now get out of here."

"Uh..."said the guardsman, then thought it best to just do what he was told. He bowed and left.

_I'll be looking forward to meeting our new "guest" later..._ thought Scourge with a smirk, _Fiona's not been much fun, lately. Well, I can have fun with this new one until she gets her act back together..._

.

The small group had reached the main courtyard. Up ahead was the entrance to the part of the castle that contained the throne room. Now all they had to do was cross a wide open space with Scourge's armoured guards approaching from every direction.

"This doesn't look good," muttered Miles, watching as they were surrounded.

"You're right," said Black, "It looks _fun_."

Jet shoes hissing, he dashed towards a group of guards, leapt into the air and landed in the middle of them. A moment later, they were all blown away by some kind of explosion. Black stood in the centre of the unconscious guards surrounded by a red aura. He smoothed back his fur, "See? We can take 'em."

The guards rushed at them and the group prepared to fight.

Miles used his twin tails to fly and get above his enemies before coming down at them with a fist or a foot.

Knuckles was able to easily hold his own. Although he was a pacifist, that didn't mean he wouldn't throw a punch in self-defence.

Rosy was having a whale of a time. She swung her hammer around, knocking guards all over the place, and even smashed anyone lying on the ground if she had a spare second.

With the help of Black, the group eventually defeated the guards. The hedgehog and the others had all taken a few hits, but they did their best to shrug off their minor injuries and continued on, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings.

Black stood in front of the large braced double-doors that led to the castle's Great Hall and the throne room beyond. He raised his leg and three kicks later, the doors were busted open. Six of Scourge's royal guards stood before them, each a highly-skilled warrior.

"Out of our way, we're here to have a little meeting with Scourge," said Black, "Unless, of course, you want to end up like those guys," the hedgehog nodded his head back towards the courtyard filled with defeated guardsmen.

The royal guards didn't flinch. They stepped forward menacingly and unsheathed their swords.

Knuckles grimaced, _More fightin'? Well, if that's the way it has to be…_

The two groups surged towards each other and clashed, each tackling a guard one-on-one, except for Black who took on the remaining three.

.

Scourge's ears pricked up when he heard a loud bang coming from the Great Hall. His expression soured. It seemed the intruders had found their way in. But it didn't bother the green hedgehog; if they managed to get by his royal guardsmen, he would easily take care of them himself, as well as taking care of any guards who were still alive. After all, he had made them swear to serve him to the death… and he meant _to the death_.

He sat listening to the tumult just outside the throne room's doors. Bashes and clangs and shouts and screams echoed in the Great Hall. It sounded like quite a party to the Moebian King and he found himself itching to join in, but he fought it and stayed seated.

A few minutes later, the sounds of combat stopped, followed by indistinct voices and footsteps approaching the door. They stopped just outside the room. A grin appeared on Scourge's face and he sat back, legs crossed. Soon enough, the doors were thrown open violently, one of them losing a hinge in the process.

Scourge's cold blue eyes, covered by sunglasses, flicked over the intruders.

"Miles, Miles, Miles. You're at it again?" he asked, addressing the fox.

"Shut up, Scourge!" retorted the two-tailed vulpine.

The hedgehog's gaze went to the echidna, who seemed to be struggling to hold something behind his back.

"Knuckles, you too? What you got behind ya?"

The echidna just grimaced at him.

Finally, Scourge's eyes rested on the black hedgehog. He lifted his sunglasses to get a better look.

"...You I've never seen, before."

"I wouldn't expect you would have. I've more or less just arrived on Moebius."

"What does that mean? Who are you?"

"That doesn't matter. I'm here to take you down."

Scourge uncrossed his legs and stood up, glaring at the black intruder, "Oh _really_?"

"Yeah. _Really_."

Scourge reached into his throne and brought out a green gem, "I'd like to see you try."

Black slowly walked forward, unconcerned.

"Don't you know what this is?" asked Scourge, eyeing the approaching hedgehog warily.

"Of course I know what it is," replied Black, stopping a few feet from him. Reaching into his quills, Black produced a similar green gem, "Because I've got one just like it."

"Oh, good for you. But you don't scare me. I bet you don't have a super form," said Scourge, grinning confidently.

"You think so? But who says I _need_ one, anyway? I took care of the majority of your guards no problem _without_ transforming."

Before Scourge could reply, there was a yell from Knuckles and Miles. Both hedgehogs looked over at Rosy who had finally slipped free from Knuckles' strong grasp.

Scourge's face went white. She was charging at him with her huge hammer, foaming at the mouth, her eyes as psychotic as ever.

"Rosy! Stop!" cried Black, but she ignored him and headed straight for the green hedgehog.

Swinging her hammer, she just barely missed Scourge, who had jumped backwards to dodge the attack. He could stop her if she was alone, but with the three others there... if he could just buy enough time to transform. However, Rosy was relentless, rapidly swinging her hammer, not leaving him any openings.

Black shook his head, but decided to use this opportunity to attack Scourge.

Sensing that the black hedgehog was now moving in as well, the green hedgehog grunted in annoyance. He reached into his jacket pocket and pressed a button on a small device. The floor behind the throne opened up and two Globe Posts rose up. Almost immediately, they activated and a portal appeared between them. All including Rosy and Black turned to look at the blue-white vortex.

Not wasting any time, Scourge ran towards it, not caring where he went at that moment. He just needed somewhere to figure out a plan.

"So long, suckers!" he taunted and leapt in.

Uttering a cry of rage, Rosy dashed straight in after him.

"Damn it! Let's go! We can't let him get away!" yelled Black. He ran towards the portal, then stopped and turned to Miles and Knuckles, who stood staring at the portal uncertainly.

"What are you waiting for? Move!"

The two looked at each other, then shrugged and followed Black.

.

Arriving at the Cosmic Interstate, Scourge looked around at the pathways connecting to the different zones and parallel universes. He had only been here a couple of times and visited a parallel universe or two, but found them pretty boring, as there was nothing of interest in them.

He jumped as he heard someone coming through behind him. He almost fell over when he saw Rosy's pink form coming at him. Avoiding another deadly swing, he dashed away, picking a path at random, hoping to lose her.

Moments later, Black, Miles and Knuckles also arrived.

"What the...? What is this place?" Black wondered aloud, "Never mind. Do you see him?"

The three looked around, then Miles spotted something.

"Look!" he cried, pointing, "It's Rosy! I bet that green blur in front of her is Scourge."

"Let's get moving!"

They followed Rosy's distant figure while keeping an eye on Scourge. Ahead of him, they saw some kind of portal that looked not unlike the ones generated by the Globe Posts. The green blur entered it, followed a few seconds later by Rosy, still hefting her hammer as if it weighed nothing.

The portal was dead ahead now. Without a second thought, the three charged in.

.

Running full tilt into the random dimension he picked, Scourge looked behind him to see if he was being followed. He skidded to a halt when he realised he wasn't.

"Lost her... good..."

He surveyed his surroundings – a green glade. Trees and flowers everywhere, a blue sky, birds singing... looked like another boring, empty dimension. At least now he had an opportunity to think.

Who was that black hedgehog? What was he trying to do? And why did he have to bring Rosy along?

It didn't matter. Once he was through with them, Scourge would make them sorry.

Very sorry.


	3. Prime For Arrival

As soon as Black entered the new dimension, he stopped and looked around, his red eyes searching and observing. It looked like he had arrived in a city of some sort. Buildings of all shapes and sizes stretched into the blue sky. A few people stopped and stared at the black hedgehog until he fixed his ruby eyes on them, making them avert their gaze and hurriedly continue on their way. He then noticed neither Miles nor Knuckles were making a sound. Miles, at least, should have commented by now. He turned and found that they were gone. Had they gotten separated? How?f

It didn't matter. All that mattered right now was finding Scourge and putting an end to him. Taking a look at his surroundings once more, through the throng of people, Black noticed a hedgehog who made him stand stock-still. It wasn't Scourge, but they caught his attention. Examining the hedgehog, who had his arms crossed and was talking to a human in a blue uniform with black armour, it looked like this particular hedgehog, too, was black in colour. What was even more interesting were the red highlights on his quills, which pointed up, not down like his own. His attire was slightly different, too. For one, he wore a large gold ring on each wrist, whereas Black had silver bracelets. He wore the same jet shoes, although some of the colours were inverted. _His_ were white and black near the heels. Black's was the opposite. The red trim was the same and, as before, instead of golden rings, Black had silver anklets, although they were almost completely hidden by the shoes' tongues.

The human walked away from the other hedgehog, who then uncrossed his arms. Sensing he would walk towards him, Black stepped into a nearby alleyway and melted into the shadows, waiting to confront this imposter.

.

Miles burst into the dimension, ready for anything... except the fact that he was alone. He turned left and right, trying to see any sign of the others.

"Knuckles? Rosy?" he paused for a moment, then ventured, "...Black? Hey, black hedgehog!"

No answer.

The yellow fox scowled, a gentle breeze ruffling his gray top of hair. Somehow, he was now alone here. Wherever here was.

Ahead of him was a small collection of houses, all built in a semi-spherical design, and behind him was a lush forest. He was standing on a dirt path that stretched into the distance to his left, and around a corner and out of sight behind the forest to his right.

A pink shape in the corner of his eye to his left got his attention. He turned his head and saw a pink hedgehog walking down the street, humming to herself. For a second, he thought it was Rosy, but she was wearing a red dress and her hair was in a different style, so he dismissed the thought.

That is, until she made a twirl, spreading her arms out. She sure looked a hell of a lot like the crazy twelve-year-old – she even looked twelve, herself – but her expression was so... _happy_. Deciding to give it a shot, despite Rosy being the last person he'd want to find, if ever, Miles walked towards the pink hedgehog. She had stopped and had her hands clasped over her heart, eyes closed. Who knows... maybe the trip through the portal had changed her, somehow?

"Rosy?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him, a little surprised.

"Tails!"

The fox's eyes widened in shock and slight anger at being called such a childish nickname. But how did she know it? Had Rosy heard that name before? Was this her?

Whoever she was, she continued, "What are you doing here? I thought you were with—" she stopped. She peered closer, "Tails, where did you get those clothes? And what's with the wig? Did you change your fur colour? And Rosy? Awww, what a cute nickname."

_...This isn't Rosy..._ surmised Miles, _She doesn't shut up..._

"Tails, are you feeling okay?"

"_Stop_ calling me 'Tails'," said Miles, fighting to control his growing anger.

"Huh?"

"I don't like it, okay?"

"When did _that_ happen? We've called you that since forever."

"I'm not who you think I am. My name is Miles."

"Okay, _Miles_. No need to be so grouchy."

"Listen, we don't know each other. I'm not this 'Tails' you're talking about. Although... it _was_ a nickname of mine when I was younger..."

"Ohhh. Well, that explains it," the girl cocked her head, her green eyes – alive and sparkling, as opposed to dead and dull – looked him over, "You sure look an awful lot like him. Just like you, his real name is Miles."

"That's all well and good, but I'm not a little boy like him."

"Yeah, sure. How old are you?"

"Eight."

"So is he."

"He needs to grow up," said Miles, "_Tails_? Seriously?"

The girl frowned, mostly in confusion, "Grow up at _eight_? You should be having fun at that age!"

Miles turned his gaze from her, growing bored of the pointless conversation, "Yes, yes, very good," he rolled his eyes to meet the pink hedgehog's again, "Listen, I'm actually looking for someone who _you_ happen to resemble."

"Ooh, really?"

"Yeah. Her name's Rosy."

"No way! My name's Amy _Rose_!" she laughed, "Wow!"

Miles shook his head at what was going on.

"Hey!" said Amy, "How about I take you to meet Tails? Considering what's happened with us, maybe he's met this 'Rosy' of yours?"

_That's unlikely, but it's worth a shot. Although, if he _has_ met her, I doubt he'll be in any condition to talk. If she didn't kill him, that is..._

"Might as well," said Miles, crossing his arms and shrugging, "I'm also looking for a few others. A black hedgehog with red highlights on his quills – don't know his name – and an echidna who goes by the name of Knuckles."

"I know them!"

Miles blinked, "You're kidding."

Amy shook her head, the quills framing her face swaying a little, "Nope. The black hedgehog must be Shadow. I'm surprised you know them, though – they're not exactly the definition of 'social'. They've never mentioned you, either."

_This is getting too weird..._

"There's also a _green_ hedgehog. Wears sunglasses, has a black leather jacket and a really bad attitude. He's called Scourge. Me, Rosy, Knuckles and... Shadow, I guess, are here to stop him. He's just... evil."

"Huh. Never heard of him, before. Maybe Sonic knows something...?"

"Sonic?"

"I can't believe you don't know who he is!" said the pink hedgehog in amazement. She turned her head a little, a dreamy look coming over her face, "He's the fastest, coolest, strongest, best-looking hedgehog in the whole world. And he's such a hero."

"I guess he's the reason you look so happy?"

"Yup. He saved me from Doctor Eggman's base. He carried me in his arms the whole way out," she said with a happy sigh.

Miles wasn't sure he wanted to hear any more about him, though he wondered who Doctor Eggman was.

"Let's... just go," he said, gesturing for her to lead on, "Oh, and by the way. This isn't a wig, okay?" he added, pointing to his hair.

.

Knuckles took off his black tam and wiped the sweat from his brow. The sun was high in the sky, sending beautiful beams of light through gaps in the trees. However, the leafy canopy trapped the heat, making it hard to enjoy the scenery. Placing the hat on his head again, he continued on through the jungle. Like the others, he was by himself. Normally, this wouldn't bother him, but he was in a strange new dimension and having no familiar faces was disconcerting. He didn't miss Rosy, but Miles and that black hedgehog... where were they?

On his journey, he passed a huge, purple cat sitting with a frog in a simple makeshift hut. The cat stared at him through large eyes as he passed, mouth hanging open dumbly. When the echidna was out of sight, the cat looked down at the frog.

"Froggy, was that Knuckles?" he asked slowly in a deep voice, "He looked kinda different to me..."

After splashing through another creek, Knuckles soon found himself in front of a ladder that lead up to an outcropping. Deciding it would be better than wandering around aimlessly, he ascended.

At the top, there was a cave with a mine cart track running into it, but no sign of the cart itself. Turning, he could see the whole jungle spread out before him. He shifted his gaze to the cloudless blue sky and let out an exclamation when he saw what looked like a floating island, a strange polar opposite to his underwater Sunken Island.

Unable to figure out how an island was able to float, especially so high, Knuckles walked into the dark mouth of the mine, listening carefully for the sound of something trundling down the tracks.

After feeling his way along the walls for what seemed like forever, Knuckles saw a light ahead.

_The exit!_

Squinting his eyes against the bright glare as he stepped outside, Knuckles could just about make out the mine cart sitting idly on the tracks. After being in complete darkness for so long, the sunlight actually hurt his eyes. He covered them completely with one of his large gloves and turned his back to the glowing orb in the sky. Peering down from under his glove at his shadow on the ground, Knuckles wished his eyes would hurry up and adjust. He could tell from the sound of rushing water that there was a waterfall nearby. He wouldn't mind splashing some nice cold water on his face, but he needed to be able to see it, first.

Eventually, he found himself able to look around normally, although he still needed to use a hand as a sunshade. To his left was a waterfall that cascaded into a basin. Ahead was a large bridge and a wooden structure beyond that looked like it had some sort of train station at the top. He could also see a small building on top of a hill to the left of the station. Deciding he should at least find out where he was, the echidna headed towards it.

.

Ken Laskey gripped the handle of his suitcase tightly. Important documents were in there and he didn't want to risk losing them to theft or even simply dropping the suitcase by accident and having it snap open. It was a relatively short walk from the office building to his house, so he wasn't too worried. The sun was lowering in the sky, bathing the people and buildings in a calming orange glow.

Turning a corner, Ken walked down a street where the buildings blocked the light from the sun. His business suit didn't offer him much warmth, but he didn't have far to go. As he passed an alleyway on a quiet, empty street, he heard what sounded like a whimper.

Stopping to listen, he heard it again. It was coming from behind a large green dumpster.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

Whoever was there made a small gasp. Ken took a step closer. A small, pink-furred ear slowly appeared, followed by a staring green eye. A young anthro hedgehog, it looked like.

Ken knelt down, "Are you okay?"

The hedgehog ducked behind the dumpster again.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. Are you lost?"

"...Yes," she whispered in reply.

For some reason, the whisper sent a shiver down his spine. He ignored it, passing it off as a chill and stood up. Slowly, he walked into the alley, getting closer to the dumpster.

"Come with me. I'll take you to see a policeman. He can help you."

He edged towards the dumpster to see the girl and was shocked when she lunged at him with a huge, green hammer.

.

Scourge leaned against a tree, trying to figure out why Rosy hadn't followed him through. She was right on his tail and wasn't the type to give up easily. He knew that all too well. So where was she? For that matter, where were the other three – Miles, Knuckles and that shadowy hedgehog?

Unable to figure it out, and getting tired of standing around, Scourge started running to see what was in this dimension. Specifically if there were any women around, provided he hadn't arrived in a dimension devoid of sentient life or one inhabited only by males.

A few minutes of running at supersonic speeds later, the setting sun glinting off of something caught the green hedgehog's eye. He skidded to a stop and turned towards the source, raising his sunglasses. It was a skyscraper building.

_Finally..._ thought Scourge. He lowered his sunglasses again and ran towards the city, an unpleasant grin coming over his features.

_Look out, city, 'cause here I come!_


	4. Meeting of Shadows

Knuckles climbed the last few stairs and found himself almost right at the door of the small building. He knocked on the door and looked around idly as he waited. Shortly, the door opened and the echidna was surprised to see a very familiar looking two-tailed fox before him.

"Knuckles, hi. What's up?" asked the fox, his blue eyes briefly lingering on Knuckles' black tam.

Perplexed by the fox's greeting and slightly different appearance, the echidna frowned at him, "Miles? What...?"

The golden fox's bright expression fell a little at the mention of his real name, but decided to ignore it, "I just said 'hi'."

The red echidna still looked puzzled.

"Are you looking for Sonic?" asked the fox, "You just missed him. He said he was heading to Station Square."

"I... no. Sonic? Where? What are ye talking about?"

"Knuckles? Are you okay? Why are you talking with that weird accent?"

"Eh? I've always talked like this. You... _are_ Miles, right?"

The fox's mouth twisted in disdain at the name, "Yeah, but you know I'd prefer to be called 'Tails'. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I thought ye didn't like being called that? And what happened to your clothes? And hair?"

The blue-eyed fox looked over himself, a look of genuine confusion on his young face, "What do you mean? Nothing happened. I've always..." he sighed, "Stop kidding around. What about _you_? Since when did you wear a _hat_?"

Knuckles was beginning to lose his patience, "Okay, Miles. What are you doing here and where are the others? Where's Scourge?"

The fox just stared at him, "...I think I get what's going on. I'm not exactly who you're looking for and you're probably not the same Knuckles I know."

Knuckles looked off to the side, "I guess not. That _would_ explain a lot."

"Uh... why don't you come in and tell me about who you're looking for. Maybe I can help?"

The echidna shrugged, "Alright. It's better than wanderin' around aimlessly, I suppose..."

The fox stepped to the side, "Come in. And, by the way, my name _is_ Miles, but my friends call me Tails."

"And I'm Knuckles. But I guess you know already," replied the echidna, stepping inside the small workshop.

"Weird. Apart from that accent and hat, you look and sound just like him."

Knuckles sat down and took his black tam off, resting it on his lap. He now looked exactly like the Knuckles Tails knew.

"Alright," he said, his purple eyes meeting Tails', "Let's talk."

.

Miles followed Amy through the city streets, noticing that the sun was beginning to set. The sky was alive with beautiful hues of warm oranges and reds and the setting sun cast a calming orange glow over all it could see.

"Are we almost there?" he asked.

"Calm down," replied the pink hedgehog, "Once you meet Sonic, things will move along _real_ quick."

"Goody..."

They stopped at a crossing and Amy turned her gaze to him, "Stop being such a grouch," she said with a small giggle, "If anyone can help you, trust me, it's Sonic the Hedgehog."

"We'll see..." replied Miles, scanning his surroundings, looking for any sign of—

_Wait!_

To his left, in a street unlit by the setting sun, the yellow fox saw the back of another pink hedgehog. It could have been anyone, but what gave her away was the green hammer she was carrying.

_Rosy! Of all the luck. But it's better than nothing, I suppose. I've got to catch up with her before I lose her... _

"Listen, uh, thanks for your help. I gotta go! Bye!" he said quickly, and took off, twirling his tails.

Amy let out a confused sound as he flew away from her.

"Hey!" she cried, futilely reaching an arm out after him. Her soft features scrunched up into a scowl and she crossed her arms, "Well, that was rude..."

Miles felt a slight pang of remorse at leaving the hedgehog so suddenly and without an explanation, but he had to catch up with Rosy.

_She'll get over it..._ he thought.

"Rosy!" he called as he got closer. She stopped, but didn't turn to face him. Not fully trusting her, the fox remained hovering out of her reach and said her name again.

Rosy slowly turned and locked her cold green eyes on his sky blue ones. A smile that contained as much warmth as an arctic wasteland crawled up her muzzle.

"Miles," she said in a slow, high voice, "Where have you been?"

"I'm not exactly sure," replied Miles, keeping an eye on her spiked hammer, trying to convince himself the red stain on one of the ends _wasn't_ blood, "but it doesn't matter. We need to find the others. Then we can all concentrate on finding Scourge."

Her expression darkened, "No! I'm not sharing!"

Miles sighed, "Rosy, it'll be easier if we all work together. And we'll let you take care of Scourge, okay?"

"You're lying! I get to do it by myself! You won't let me squish him! I know it!"

"We can stop him from escaping while you, uh... 'squish' him. We wouldn't want to miss the chance of seeing that," said Miles as convincingly as possible.

A scenario played out in Rosy's twisted mind. Situated in a small room with three exits was she and Scourge. Blocking the exits were Miles, Knuckles and the black hedgehog. She imagined Scourge looking desperately around as she slowly walked towards him. In her mind's eye, she raised her hammer above her head and violently brought it down on the green hedgehog.

Miles watched as she got a faraway look in her eyes, her breathing deeper and her expression looked something akin to a demon's.

"Okay, so are you... gonna help?" he asked, carefully.

She blinked and looked directly into his eyes again, "I guess. But if you trick me...!"

With an effortless swing, Rosy's huge hammer sent a car flying across the street into another, the alarms of both cars crying out weakly.

"Trust me, we won't trick you," said Miles, fully willing to let her do as she pleased after her display.

.

As the sun set, Shadow made his way down the emptying streets. Up ahead was an alleyway that, for some reason, made him feel uneasy. Frowning, he ignored the sensation and recalled what the GUN soldier had told him; to be ready for a possible assignment in a few days.

If they said he would 'possibly' be called for an assignment, it always meant he _definitely_ would be.

As he passed the alley, Shadow heard a voice not unlike his own speak to him.

"Well hello. I didn't know I had a fan."

The black hedgehog stopped and turned his head towards the voice. It sounded like him, but at the same time, it didn't. There was a certain loftiness to the speaker's tone, as well.

"Who's there?" asked Shadow.

"Surely you can guess?"

"I don't have time for games."

"Huh. _Someone's_ impatient. Alright, then."

Shadow's eyes made out the form of a hedgehog coming out of the gloom. When the figure stepped into the light, the black hedgehog stepped back, eyes wide. Except for the quill design, silver bracelets and the smirk, this hedgehog looked exactly like him.

"Who are you? And why do you look like me? Why do you sound like me?"

"I could ask you the same," said the other hedgehog, "But since you asked so _nicely_..."

Shadow simply glared, still unnerved he was looking at his duplicate.

The figure shrugged, "Okay, _don't_ say please. Your last two questions I don't know and can't answer. The first one, however..."

The black hedgehog put a hand on his hip, and, keeping eye contact with Shadow, he raised his head proudly, still smirking.

"I am Onyx the Hedgehog. The Perfect Lifeform."

'_Perfect Lifeform'?_

Onyx's smirk grew into a cocky grin. The very type of grin that irritated Shadow.

"And you?" asked Onyx.

"Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog. The _Ultimate_ Lifeform."

"Ohhh, looks like I've got some competition, huh?"

"What do you mean by 'Perfect Lifeform'? Are you another one of the Professor's projects?"

"If by that you mean _Doctor_ Kintobor's _only_ project, then yes; Project Onyx. So... you're artificial, too?"

"Kintobor?"

"My creator. Who made _you_?"

Shadow studied Onyx for a second, then said, "Professor Gerald Robotnik."

"I see..." said Onyx, still grinning, "We're very much alike, aren't we, 'Ultimate Lifeform'?" he said, giving the last two words an almost mocking tone.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, just here on my own business. But after seeing you... this just got a whole lot more interesting."

Two sets of ruby eyes bore into each other, one set questioning and cautious, the other sneering and cocky.

"See you around, faker," said Onyx abruptly with a wave. Before Shadow could react, he took off, jet shoes hissing.

The black hedgehog briefly considered chasing after him, but thought that even if he caught up with his doppelganger, it probably wouldn't yield anything productive.

Besides, he didn't like how similar that grin was to a certain other hedgehog's.


	5. Scourge of the City

As he walked down the emptying street, the diminishing light from the setting sun made him raise his sunglasses, revealing icy blue eyes above a cocky grin. Resting them on his green-furred head, he looked around at the people walking by, noting that most gave him a second glance as if they saw someone they recognised.

While scoping out the girls who passed by, Scourge's cold eyes rested upon a pink hedgehog walking by herself. His thoughts turned instantly to an insane hedgehog he knew and he felt slight panic for a second. Then he realised this girl wasn't Rosy, thankfully, although she resembled her.

_She looks... lonely..._ thought Scourge, wearing a grin that would make an angry lion slink away, _Maybe I can help her out..._

Spotting a nearby shadowy alley, he sped over to it and waited for the 'lonely' hedgehog.

.

The sun had almost disappeared over the horizon and the tall buildings cast long shadows on the city they towered over. Amy walked along the darkened streets with her hands clasped behind her back. She had decided to just head home, as any shops she frequented would be closed now, and she had enough food at home, so she didn't need to go for groceries.

_What was the deal with that fox and where did he come from?_ she wondered, _He was looking for someone called... Rosy? Yeah. I quite like that name. I wonder what she's like?_

"Hey there," said a voice as she passed an alley.

Amy stopped and turned. Frowning, she looked into the darkness and could just barely make out the shape of a hedgehog.

"Who's there?" she asked cautiously, ready to run if the figure made any threatening movements; people talking to you from dark alleyways are generally hard to trust.

"Oh, don't worry. I just wanted to talk."

At that point, Amy would have ran, if it weren't for the fact that she would recognise that voice anywhere.

"Sonic? Is that you?"

There was a slight pause before the figure responded, "...Yeah. Yeah, it's me."

Amy smiled, "I knew I recognised that voice!"

"Good ear," responded the hedgehog with a small chuckle. There was an unnatural edge to his voice, but Amy ignored it.

"Uh... what are you doing in an alley?"

"Oh, just wanted some privacy."

"In an alley?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Oh, Sonic, I just can't figure you out," said Amy, shaking her head.

"Hey, why don't you join me?"

The pink hedgehog blushed, "What? Really?"

"Of course."

She giggled, "Okay."

The street lights came on, and although they didn't fully light up the alley, they allowed Amy to see a little better. The quills were in the same design as Sonic's and, sure enough, there was the cocky grin. He seemed to be wearing sunglasses, which by itself wasn't too strange, as Sonic did sometimes wear a pair, but the fact that he was also wearing a jacket confused Amy a little. There was something else strange about him. Was it her or did his fur colour look off? Like it had a green tinge to it?

_It's pretty dark. My eyes are playing tricks on me..._ she thought, walking into the alley. Walking, in the hopes of not scaring him off.

The streets were nearly empty, which was fine for her. In a few minutes, the night life would start, but this short interlude would be perfect.

"Sonic, are you okay?"

"I sure am. How about you, hotness?"

Amy's smile dropped a little, "Sonic?"

"What's wrong, babe?"

_Wait... Sonic would never say something like that..._ thought Amy and started backing away, "You... you're not Sonic...!"

"Too late, babe."

He was on her in less than a second, with a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Now don't move. Don't scream. I'm sure you'll enjoy this... I will, at least."

Amy's blood went cold and she began quaking in fear. She shook her head, looking at the imposter with pleading eyes.

He pushed her against a wall, his hand still covering her mouth. The back of Amy's head throbbed from where it had struck the hard surface, but the tears forming in her eyes were not from pain, but from the terror she felt. Her mind swam. This seemed like a twisted dream. But the pain in her head kept her grounded in reality and let her know this was really happening.

_I'm so stupid! How could I let this guy fool me? Let me go. Let me go. Please..._

Scourge removed his hand, "Don't make a sound," he whispered, then moved his face too close to hers, "Or you'll regret it."

The grin that had tricked her earlier reappeared and she closed her eyes. She grimaced as he licked her cheek. Her body shook as she sobbed quietly.

"Shhh..." said Scourge, stroking her other cheek, "You don't want me to get angry, do you?"

With his body pressed against hers, he traced a finger down her neck and she turned her head, hoping he wouldn't go where she thought he was. A very small amount of relief passed through her as his finger deviated away from her chest to her shoulder and down her exposed arm.

As she wondered where he was going, yet not wanting to know, she wished somebody would come by and notice. Her prayers were answered when she saw a blue hedgehog making his way along the street. He was on the other side of the road, but she wasn't going to miss what may be her only chance of rescue.

"_Sonic! Help!_"

She had enough time to see him turn towards her voice before a stinging pain exploded on her face as Scourge slapped her. She cried out in pain and he clamped his hand over her mouth again, holding her closely in front of him, one hand on her arm.

"You're going to be sorry you did that," he whispered, fiercely.

The blue hedgehog stopped in front of the alley, most of his features hidden in shadow thanks to the bright street light behind him.

"Amy?" he called out, "Hey, who's there? I can see you!"

Scourge grunted.

"Come on out!"

"Back off, buddy," replied Scourge.

"Step into the light. Quit being a coward."

The green hedgehog grimaced and stepped forward slowly, still holding onto Amy.

Sonic's eyes widened at the sight of the teary-eyed pink hedgehog.

"Amy!" cried Sonic, "If you've hurt her...!"

"Maybe a little, but she needed to be kept in line. Apart from that, I haven't laid a finger on her. Oh wait, yes I have," Scourge chuckled.

Sonic couldn't fully see the green hedgehog, as he was still partly in shadow and hiding behind Amy, but he could make out sunglasses perched on top of his head and a leather jacket.

"Let Amy go!"

"I don't think so."

"Let her go or you'll be sorry," said Sonic. He pointed a finger at Scourge, "_Nobody_ hurts my friends!"

"Oh, a tough guy, huh? Alright, she can go _for now_. I'll deal with you, then me and her can get back to it."

He shoved Amy in front of him. She immediately ran and hugged the blue hedgehog.

"Sonic! Oh, Sonic, I'm so glad you came!" she cried, nuzzling into his shoulder, "Thank you! Thank you!"

He gently pried her off, "Amy, are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"A little. Not much."

"What did he do?"

"He... he was going to do... s-something. And he... slapped me..."

Sonic looked at her face and saw a red mark on her cheek where she had been struck. He looked angrily up at the green hedgehog, the face still masked by shadows.

The blue hedgehog held Amy gently by the shoulders.

"Amy, I want you to get somewhere safe."

"But, Sonic—"

"Amy, go! Please. Go to Tails' house."

She looked into his emerald eyes for a moment, then nodded and hurried towards the train station.

"I'll catch up!" Scourge called after her and stepped fully into the light.

"Hey! I said—" Sonic stopped as he got his first look at his counterpart's face, also noting the two large scars on his chest.

"What? Something bothering you?" grinned the green hedgehog.

Sonic stepped back so the light from the streetlamp fell on his face.

The green hedgehog's grin turned into a look of disbelief, but was quickly replaced again.

"Well, you're the best-looking guy I'll have ever beaten up."

"That all depends on if you can even catch me."

Scourge's eyes narrowed, "Challenge accepted."

He rushed forward and bashed against the blue hedgehog. Sonic hit the concrete hard, shocked at the other hedgehog's speed.

_Man, he's fast! But he can't be faster than me..._

Sonic stood up, "Pretty impressive speed there, pal. But there's something you should know about me – I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, the Fastest Thing Alive."

"Oh really? Well, since we're exchanging names, I suppose I'll tell mine. I'm Scourge. Known as _King_ Scourge 'round my parts."

Scourge's sunglasses had dropped over his eyes when he had collided with Sonic. He took them off and dropped them in a pocket on the inside of his jacket, thinking of how cool he must have looked doing that.

"'King', huh?" said Sonic, with obvious scepticism, "Well, sorry, 'Your Majesty', but I'm gonna have to de-throne ya."

Without hesitation, Sonic zipped forward and landed a punch on his opponent's scarred chest. He followed this with a hook punch, knocking the green hedgehog down.

"Alright, buddy, now get outta town before I really hurt ya," said the blue hedgehog, pointing with his thumb.

Scourge responded by jumping into the air and curling into a ball. He aimed himself at Sonic and struck the blue blur, making him stagger back. He rebounded off a wall and bashed into Sonic again, knocking him to the ground.

Scourge landed on his feet and smirked down at the blue hedgehog. Not wasting any time, Sonic jumped up and attempted to counter with a kick, but Scourge dodged and got behind him. Grabbing the blue hedgehog, he wrapped an arm around his neck, attempting to choke him. Sonic tried to elbow the other hedgehog, but was unable to connect.

"Nice moves," said Scourge, tightening his grip, "But looks like I'm the better—"

He was cut off by a scream. Just ahead of him, a pink hedgehog was rushing at him wielding a huge hammer. Scourge's eyes got wide.

_Rosy!_

Then he realised it wasn't her, but the hedgehog named Amy. Scourge reflexively let go of Sonic and backed away. He jumped to the side as Amy brought her hammer down, creating a small crater in the pavement.

Sonic coughed, rubbing at his throat, "Amy? I told you to..." he coughed again, "...to get out of here!"

"Not when he's hurting you!" said Amy, a look of rage on her face, "Besides... he's gonna pay for what he did to _me_!"

_What's with this dimension?_ thought Scourge staring at the huge yellow hammer, _Isn't one crazy pink hedgehog with a hammer enough?_

"How dare you! Who do you think you are?" yelled Amy, and swung her hammer again. Scourge jumped back, the head of the hammer just barely missing him.

_Damn it!_

"This ain't over!" cried Scourge. He turned and zoomed away.

"And don't come back!" Amy yelled after him. She breathed heavily and put her hammer away. Blowing her bangs away from her eyes, she turned to Sonic who was walking over to her.

"Sonic, are you okay?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him, at which, the blue hedgehog rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, fine. I had everything under control."

Amy looked up at him, "Yeah, sure."

"I did."

His gaze switched to a crowd of onlookers. Amy let go of Sonic, much to his relief, and glared at them.

"_What?_"

They averted their eyes and continued on their way.

"Amy, I thought I told you to get to Tails' house?"

"I know, but I wanted to make sure you would be okay."

"Listen, I appreciate the concern, but I didn't want you to get in harm's way. Alright? Now come on."

"But what about that hedgehog?"

"We'll deal with him later. Don't worry, though," he put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "he's not gonna touch you again."

He scooped her up in his arms. Trying to ignore her squeal of delight and the fact she was holding onto him tightly, he nodded at her, "Alright. Let's get you to the Mystic Ruins."

He took one look back at where Scourge had retreated. He just knew he would be seeing him again. For now, though, he had to get Amy away from here and make sure she was okay. He got his legs working and rushed off, though he restrained his speed to make it easy on Amy. She had been through a lot today. First, he had to rescue her from Eggman, then this happens.

_She'll be fine. She'll be just fine..._


	6. Crossed Paths

In the distance, Sonic saw Tails' porch light automatically turn on. He glanced at Amy, who was watching the small workshop get closer, and noticed her smile had disappeared. She turned her head and saw him looking at her. Her smile reappeared, although this time, it seemed forced. He gave a reassuring grin and looked back towards their destination.

"Almost there," he said.

Less than a minute later, they arrived at the front door. Sonic set Amy down and rang the doorbell.

.

"Of course I'm sure!" said Tails, "Sonic's done so much for the world!"

"...Guess I have no choice other than to believe ye until I see for meself," said Knuckles with a shrug, "What's this Sonic look like, anyway?"

"Here, let me show you a pict—" began Tails, but was cut off by the doorbell. He turned at the sound, "Who could that be?"

He found out when he opened the door and two hedgehogs stepped in, one blue and one pink. As soon as he saw them, Knuckles was on his feet.

"Knuckles?" said the blue hedgehog, "How's it goin'?"

"You... Scourge!"

The hedgehog raised his hands, "Whoa, whoa! No need for name-calling."

"Rosy, too, huh?"

"Who? Rosy?"

"Don't give me that! Tails, watch yourself, lad!"

Tails stepped between them, "Hey, hey, hey, let's calm down, alright?"

"What's goin' on?" asked Knuckles.

"This... he isn't Scourge. This is Sonic."

The echidna studied the blue hedgehog for a few moments.

"So... _you're_ Sonic? Yeah, then again, you're not green."

Sonic scratched his head. He looked at Amy, who just shrugged, then back at Knuckles, and finally at the fox.

"...Tails?" he asked.

"Sonic... this isn't the Knuckles we know. He's, uh... from a different dimension."

"A different dimension, huh? You mean like Blaze?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, that explains a couple of things. And I'm guessing he wasn't calling me _a_ scourge...?"

"I wouldn't say so, no. There's a—"

"Green hedgehog _called_ Scourge, I know. That's why I'm here."

"You saw Scourge? Where? What happened?" asked Knuckles, taking a step towards the cobalt hedgehog.

"Well, I... he got away, but..."

"Damn it!" said Knuckles, pounding his fist into an open palm, "Aye, you're a lot of use!"

"What? Hey, be careful what you say next..."

"Guys, stop arguing!" cried Tails. He sighed, "Listen, about this Scourge. If what I've been told is true, we need to work together. But... Knuckles, why did you say Scourge's name when you saw Sonic? Do they look that similar?"

The echidna sat down, "Eh, Scourge is green and wears a black jacket, but apart from that, aye, they're identical."

Sonic nodded, "Yeah, I noticed that. He's got a bad attitude, too. _Real_ bad."

The blue hedgehog suddenly became aware of how unusually quiet Amy was. He looked over and saw she was staring out a window.

"Hey, Tails," he said, "I got a little somethin' to tell ya."

"Yeah?"

"Uh... not here."

"...Okay. Let's go into the other room. We'll be back in a second, guys."

Knuckles nodded. Amy, however, didn't respond.

Once the two were out of earshot, they began talking.

"Tails, it's about Amy," said Sonic

"What happened?"

The hedgehog paused for a moment and put a hand on the back of his head, unsure how he should tell the young fox.

"...She... she was... Scourge..."

"Scourge attacked her?" asked Tails, concern creeping into his voice.

Sonic's green eyes locked with Tails', "...In a manner of speaking. It's really gotten to her and... look, she needs a safe place to stay. You can take care of her while I try to sort this out, right?"

"She seemed okay, but... sure."

"She's putting on a brave face, but I can tell she's shook up."

"Alright, Sonic, you can count on me."

The hedgehog grinned and put a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Thanks, buddy."

The two stepped back into the main room.

"Okay, I'm gonna go and see if I can find Scourge. Or at least get some information about him."

Knuckles stood up and put on his tam, "I'm going with ye. And I'm not takin' 'no' for an answer."

Sonic nodded then turned to Amy who hadn't moved from the window, "Amy."

She turned to face him a little too quickly, "Hmm?"

"I want you to stay here."

Her shoulders slumped, "Okay..."

"Staying with Tails isn't _that_ bad, is it?" he asked, smirking.

A small smile appeared on her face, "No, I was just... hoping you'd stay, too."

"I got some important stuff to take care of. But I'll be back, I promise. Tails, take care of her, okay?"

"You got it, Sonic!" said Tails and waved him off as he left, Knuckles following behind.

Tails noticed Amy was still staring at the door, as if expecting Sonic to come back any second.

"Amy?"

She blinked and turned to him, "Hmm?"

"Uh... you want something to drink? Or, you hungry?"

"...If you don't mind... a cup of coffee would be nice..." she said, a smile which seemed put on appearing.

Tails gave a friendly smile back, "Alright. Go sit down, I'll bring it over."

"Thanks."

.

The hedgehog and echidna took the train – much to Sonic's disgruntlement, although he knew this new Knuckles wouldn't be able to keep up if he ran – and arrived at the station in a time Sonic claimed he could beat by a factor of five. A claim which was ignored.

The train ride was mostly silent, so when they got off and started walking through the city streets, the hedgehog decided to try and strike up a conversation.

"Y'know, you look exactly like—"

"Your friend, who is also called Knuckles, I know. Tails told me."

"Heh. Yeah, I should've guessed. But it does kind of give us a problem. What if you two meet? What do we do tell the difference when you have the same name?"

"I don't know. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Well... maybe we could call one of ya 'Knuckles Two'?" suggested Sonic with a chuckle.

Seeing the unamused look the echidna gave him, Sonic grinned, "I was just jokin'. I guess we could call _our_ Knuckles 'Knux'."

The echidna frowned at the strange nickname, "'Knux'?"

"Yeah. I don't think he likes it much, but hey, it'll only be for a short time, and you're, uh... the 'guest', I suppose, in our dimension."

"Oh, hooray. The privilege of getting to use me own name."

Something then caught Knuckles' eye. Coming toward him, he saw a pink hedgehog and a two-tailed fox flying in front of her. They seemed to have noticed each other at the same time. He stopped and waited for them.

"What's going on?" asked Sonic, after noticing he was walking alone. Upon seeing the fox, Sonic blinked, "Tails?"

"No, that's not him."

"Knuckles!" cried the fox in a voice very similar to Tails'. His eyes happened upon Sonic and he balled his hands into fists, "Scourge?"

"Hold on..."

Before the echidna could continue, the pink hedgehog took out a huge green hammer and raised it over her head, "Hello, my Scourgey!"

"Rosy, wait!" Knuckles cried and blocked the hammer's downward swing with his hands, the force of it almost pushing him onto his knees, "This... isn't Scourge," he grunted.

"It is! It is him!" she growled back.

Using all his strength, Knuckles pushed back, reversing the heavy hammer's motion. Realising she was losing the battle, Rosy stopped fighting back and glared at him, holding her hammer with shaking hands.

The fox landed, keeping a wary eye on the pink hedgehog, "What do you mean it isn't Scourge?"

"Come on, think about it, Miles. He's not green, he isn't wearin' what Scourge is, and – I think this is pretty important – he's not attackin' us. Did you happen to notice that? His name's Sonic, and he's here to help us."

Miles crossed his arms and studied blue hedgehog. His fur was blue, not green, like Knuckles said, and he had gentle green eyes instead of cold blue ones. Every other physical feature was the same, right down to the style and number of quills on his back.

"...I guess you're right," the young fox uncrossed his arms and held a hand out, "Sorry about that. Name's Miles."

"Sonic," replied the cobalt hedgehog. Grasping the outstretched hand, Sonic got a strange sense of déjà vu; like he was meeting Tails for the first time again.

"And this charming young lady is Rosy," said Knuckles, indicating the pink hedgehog, who seemed to be gazing at Sonic.

"Uh, hi," said Sonic, uncertainly raising a hand in greeting.

"Hi..." she replied, absently. She slowly walked closer, her eyes seeming to look right through him. He took a step back as she smiled sweetly up at him.

"Rosy..." said Knuckles in a warning tone.

The smile disappeared and she frowned at the echidna, but backed away.

"So..." said Sonic and cleared his throat, "Miles and Rosy, huh?"

"Yeah," replied Miles, nodding, "This place is confusing. I met some girl who I thought was Rosy, but she was like, the complete opposite."

"Would her name happen to be Amy?"

"Yeah. I guess you know her, huh?"

The hedgehog briefly raised his eyebrows, "Oh yeah, I know her, alright."

"Your girlfriend?"

Colour briefly appeared on Sonic's face, "Uh... I wouldn't say _that_... exactly..."

"Well, Sonic's friend's lookin' after her," explained Knuckles, "And what do you know? We've got another set of twins."

"Yeah," agreed Sonic, "Miles, this friend of mine, Tails..."

"Oh, the one with the baby nickname? Yeah, Amy mentioned him."

"Baby nickname?" asked Sonic with a frown.

"'Tails'. I mean come on."

"Uh... I've got no problem with it, but... okay. At least we'll be able to tell you apart by name."

Knuckles put a hand on his hip, "Okay, this is good. We've found each other. There's just one more and our group'll be complete. There's a black hedgehog with red highlights and a creepy, deep voice. I don't suppose you know anyone like that, Sonic?"

"Well, yeah. Sounds like Shadow, but you'll be looking for his duplicate, I bet."

"He never told us his name," said Miles, "I just refer to him as 'Black' in my head. Amy said she also knew this 'Shadow', but I suppose she didn't mean ours."

"Okay. So we gotta find a Shadow look-a-like and Scourge. This should be fun," said Sonic with a grin.

"I hope everyone here doesn't class something like that fun..." muttered Miles.

.

At Tails' house, Amy had gone back to staring worriedly out a window.

"Sonic's not back, yet," she said quietly.

"You know how it is with him. Sometimes things take longer than expected," said Tails, coming to stand next to her.

"He promised..."

"Amy, Sonic wouldn't break a promise unless there was a good reason. Besides, he didn't say he would be back _tonight_. You'll see him again soon."

She didn't respond and continued staring at the dark night-time scenery.

"Look, why don't you get some sleep?" suggested the fox, "The guest room is ready."

She turned her head towards him, her jade eyes unsteady and unfocused, "Could I... sleep in your room?"

Tails raised an eyebrow at the strange request, "Uh... okay. If it makes you feel better."

"I..." she stopped and sighed, turning fully to him, "I want you to be there, too."

"Huh?"

"I don't feel safe on my own. I just want to know that someone else is there to... protect me. You will protect me, right?"

A slight blush appeared on Tails' cheeks, not used to having such a responsibility placed on him, "Of course I will."

"Thanks..." replied Amy, breaking eye contact with him.

"I've got an old sleeping bag somewhere. You can take my bed."

She nodded. Then, she embraced him. As Amy gently laid her head on his, Tails realised this was different from the hugs she gave Sonic. This one was asking for support. He put his arms around her awkwardly and patted her back.

_What happened to her?_ wondered Tails, _What did that Scourge guy _do_?_

Eventually, Amy let go and Tails felt more determined to protect her. Whatever happened obviously affected the normally spunky hedgehog.

Amy glanced outside once more, then sighed.

"Sonic'll be back, don't worry," the young fox assured her, "I'm here if you need anything."

"...I know," replied the pink hedgehog, taking off her boots. She looked down at herself, "I'll just sleep in my clothes," she said with a shrug. She wished Tails a goodnight and slowly made her way to his bedroom.

When the door closed, he let out a small concerned sigh of his own.

"Hang in there, Amy," he whispered.


End file.
